Day 12. Series: AI for Business
"Setting up an agent" sounds like "buying a spaceship." Expensive. Complicated. Geeks only.
It isn't. Prices have dropped, open-source tools have matured, and done-for-you service packages cost pennies compared to hiring a person.
Let's walk through every option — from free to professional. With real numbers.
#Level 0: Free (do it yourself)
What it is: open-source agents — CrewAI, AutoGPT, Dify, Flowise.
You grab the code, configure it, run it. Free, but it takes time and technical skills.
Costs:
- money — nothing for the software, just a VPS from about $5/mo;
- time — an evening for the first setup, plus the occasional repair by your own hands.
Who it's for: techies, tinkerers, anyone who enjoys getting under the hood.
Pros: full control, no limits, your data stays yours. Cons: you're your own support desk. If it breaks, you fix it.
A true story: my first agent ran on CrewAI. Set it up in an evening. A day later it crashed — the VPS ran out of memory. Another two hours to fix it. After that it ran for a month without a hiccup.
#Level 1: Almost free (a platform)
What it is: n8n, Make.com, Relevance AI.
A visual editor. You drag blocks around with your mouse and wire up the logic. No coding.
Costs:
- free tier — up to a few thousand operations a month;
- paid plans — from $20/mo, which you'll hit as soon as you start using it seriously.
Who it's for: non-techies, marketers, business owners.
Pros: fast, visual, integrations with hundreds of services. Cons: the paywall arrives quickly.
Pro tip: you can run n8n on your own machine via Docker. Ten minutes once — and it's free forever.
#Level 2: Service package (a ready-made agent)
What it is: you buy a finished agent. Not a platform, not code — a result. A Telegram bot, a website, automated posting.
Ballpark pricing (iandagent):
- Telegram support bot — from $60;
- automated posting, done for you — from $90;
- landing page with an order form — from $130;
- support and tweaks — from $35/mo.
Who it's for: people who want a result here and now, without diving into the tech.
Pros: zero setup, ready to go, support included. Cons: solutions are standard, not bespoke.
#Level 3: AI service subscriptions
What it is: a monthly fee for agents-as-a-service.
How the services stack up:
| Service | From | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Pro | $20/mo | Text, analysis, images |
| Claude Pro | $20/mo | Best for code and deep analysis |
| GitHub Copilot | $10/mo | Code autocomplete in your IDE |
| Midjourney | $10/mo | Images (top-tier quality) |
| RunwayML | $15/mo | Video generation |
| ElevenLabs | $5/mo | Voice-over |
Total: a basic stack runs $80/mo; an advanced one, $150–200/mo.
#Level 4: Agency (turnkey)
What it is: a company does everything for you. Analysis, architecture, development, support.
Pricing:
- a simple bot or automation — from $600;
- a full business solution — from $1,800;
- ongoing support — from $240/mo.
Who it's for: mid-size and larger businesses with a budget.
Pros: professional, bespoke, with a guarantee. Cons: the price.
#Agent vs. human
| Task | Human (per month) | Agent (per month) | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer support (4h/day) | $800 | $30 | $770 |
| Social media content (a post a day) | $500 | $20 | $480 |
| Competitor research | $1,200 | $50 | $1,150 |
| Server setup and maintenance | $300 | $5 | $295 |
#What to pick right now
No money but plenty of time? Open source. Set it up yourself, for free.
A little money and no time? A ready-made service package. $5–15 per agent.
Have a budget and a complex problem? Subscriptions plus a turnkey agency.
The main thing is to start with one task. Don't try to automate everything at once. Pick one routine chore, hand it to an agent, and check the result in a week.
Need help choosing? Message @iandagent — I'll point you to what fits your task and budget.
💼 Need an AI agent for your business?
I build Telegram bots, 24/7 support, and sales automation. Message @iandagent — let's talk through your case.